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Planet Zoo 2 aquarium animals — all 34 species (freshwater & saltwater list)

Fully aquatic species are the single biggest addition in Planet Zoo 2, and this is the complete list: every species the game's own data puts in an aquarium habitat, with the water type it needs, its biome, its barrier requirement and its size. Counts and names below come straight from the official Zoopedia payload — not from a trailer shot.

Planet Zoo 2 aquarium habitat with a manta ray and a school of reef fish — Screenshot: Planet Zoo 2, Steam store page

34aquarium species

8also accept freshwater

4sharks & rays

15also work as exhibits

Every aquarium species in Planet Zoo 2

The Enclosure column shows how the game files each species. Fish that also carry an Exhibit tag can alternatively be kept in a walk-in glass exhibit, which is the cheap way to show a species before you commit to a full tank build.

Species	Water	Biome	Enclosure	Size (M)	Barrier
African Tigerfish	Freshwater	Lakes & Rivers	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Blunthead Cichlid	Freshwater	Lakes & Rivers	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Boeseman's Rainbowfish	Freshwater	Lakes & Rivers	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Brown Trout	Freshwater	Lakes & Rivers	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Clown Loach	Freshwater	Lakes & Rivers	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Common Rudd	Freshwater	Lakes & Rivers	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Giant Gourami	Freshwater	Lakes & Rivers	AquariumExhibit	—	—
West Indian Manatee	Fresh & salt	EstuarineLakes & RiversMangroveOpen SeaWetlands	Aquarium	3.00 m Length	Grade 2 · 1m
Blackspotted Puffer	Saltwater	Reef	Aquarium	0.33 m NoseToRump	Grade 1 · 1m
Blacktip Reef Shark	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveReef	Aquarium	1.20 m Length	Grade 2 · 1m
Blue and Gold Fusilier Deluxe	Saltwater	Reef	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Bluespine Unicornfish	Saltwater	Reef	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Clown Anemonefish	Saltwater	Reef	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Clown Triggerfish	Saltwater	Reef	Aquarium	0.40 m Length	Grade 1 · 1m
Dolphinfish	Saltwater	Open Sea	Aquarium	1.00 m Length	Grade 2 · 1m
Giant Grouper	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveReef	Aquarium	1.00 m Length	Grade 2 · 1m
Golden Trevally	Saltwater	EstuarineReef	Aquarium	—	—
Great Hammerhead Deluxe	Saltwater	Open SeaReef	Aquarium	3.50 m Length	Grade 3 · 1m
Hawksbill Turtle	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	0.80 m NoseToRump	Grade 2 · 1m
Humphead Wrasse	Saltwater	Open SeaReef	Aquarium	2.00 m NoseToRump	Grade 2 · 1m
Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips	Saltwater	EstuarineReef	Aquarium	—	—
Indo-Pacific Leopard Shark	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	1.20 m Length	Grade 2 · 1m
Indo-Pacific Sergeant	Saltwater	Open SeaReef	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Longfin Batfish Deluxe	Saltwater	Reef	Aquarium	—	—
Ocean Sunfish	Saltwater	Open Sea	Aquarium	2.50 m Height	Grade 2 · 1m
Ocellated Eagle Ray	Saltwater	EstuarineOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	2.50 m LegSpan	Grade 2 · 1m
Pacific Bluefin Tuna	Saltwater	Open Sea	Aquarium	—	—
Pacific Sardine	Saltwater	Open Sea	Aquarium	—	—
Palette Surgeonfish	Saltwater	Reef	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Red Lionfish	Saltwater	EstuarineReef	Aquarium	0.34 m Length	Grade 2 · 1m
Sailfin Snapper	Saltwater	Reef	Aquarium	0.50 m Length	Grade 1 · 1m
Schooling Bannerfish	Saltwater	Reef	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Threespot Damselfish	Saltwater	MangroveReef	AquariumExhibit	—	—
Yellow Tang	Saltwater	Reef	AquariumExhibit	—	—

Data: official Planet Zoo 2 Zoopedia export. Sizes are adult male figures where the game publishes them; small schooling fish carry no published size.

Freshwater vs saltwater

Frontier's own description says you can build “spectacular freshwater or saltwater custom aquariums”, so the water type is a real constraint rather than a cosmetic choice. 8 species accept a freshwater Lakes & Rivers biome; 26 are marine-only and need Reef, Open Sea, Estuarine or Mangrove water.

Freshwater species (8)

African Tigerfish, Blunthead Cichlid, Boeseman's Rainbowfish, Brown Trout, Clown Loach, Common Rudd, Giant Gourami, West Indian Manatee

Marine species (26)

Reef fish, reef sharks, eagle rays, tuna, sunfish and the Hawksbill Turtle. Estuarine and mangrove water is the crossover zone: it is where the Blacktip Reef Shark, the manatee and the turtle can sit next to brackish species.

Sharks, rays, turtles and the manatee

4 cartilaginous species give an aquarium its silhouette, and two non-fish animals are worth planning around because they break the rules:

Species	Water	Biome	Enclosure	Size (M)	Barrier
Great Hammerhead Deluxe	Saltwater	Open SeaReef	Aquarium	3.50 m	Grade 3 · 1m
West Indian Manatee	Fresh & salt	EstuarineLakes & RiversMangroveOpen SeaWetlands	Aquarium	3.00 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Ocellated Eagle Ray	Saltwater	EstuarineOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	2.50 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Blacktip Reef Shark	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveReef	Aquarium	1.20 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Indo-Pacific Leopard Shark	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	1.20 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Hawksbill Turtle	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	0.80 m	Grade 2 · 1m

The Hawksbill Turtle is the only aquarium reptile and is Reef/Open Sea/Estuarine/Mangrove. The West Indian Manatee is the only aquarium mammal and the only species that accepts both fresh and salt water.

What is not in the aquarium (and why)

Dolphins, whales, orcas and porpoises are not in the game

Frontier answered this one head-on: they want every species to have a habitat that reflects its real requirements, so cetaceans are out while the conservation picture around them is still moving. That is an official design decision — there is no hidden animal list to find, and no data file in the game contains a cetacean.

No seals, sea lions, otters or walrus at launch

The launch roster has no pinnipeds and no otters. The marine mammals that exist in the game are the manatee in an aquarium and the African Penguin, which is a land habitat species — so do not build a polar wing for animals that are not in the roster you can actually place.

Nothing about a “shark tunnel” is officially announced

Underwater tunnels are a very common search around this game, but Frontier has published nothing about a dedicated tunnel tool. What is confirmed is that aquariums are built from barriers with the standard build tools, so any tunnel walkway is player construction, not a game feature with its own button.

Barrier grades for aquariums

Aquariums use the same barrier system as land habitats, but most fish need nothing at all. The spread across the 34 aquarium species is: no barrier required for 20, Grade 1 for 3, Grade 2 for 10 and Grade 3 for 1.

Species	Water	Biome	Enclosure	Size (M)	Barrier
Great Hammerhead Deluxe	Saltwater	Open SeaReef	Aquarium	3.50 m	Grade 3 · 1m
Blacktip Reef Shark	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveReef	Aquarium	1.20 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Dolphinfish	Saltwater	Open Sea	Aquarium	1.00 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Giant Grouper	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveReef	Aquarium	1.00 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Hawksbill Turtle	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	0.80 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Humphead Wrasse	Saltwater	Open SeaReef	Aquarium	2.00 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Indo-Pacific Leopard Shark	Saltwater	EstuarineMangroveOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	1.20 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Ocean Sunfish	Saltwater	Open Sea	Aquarium	2.50 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Ocellated Eagle Ray	Saltwater	EstuarineOpen SeaReef	Aquarium	2.50 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Red Lionfish	Saltwater	EstuarineReef	Aquarium	0.34 m	Grade 2 · 1m
West Indian Manatee	Fresh & salt	EstuarineLakes & RiversMangroveOpen SeaWetlands	Aquarium	3.00 m	Grade 2 · 1m
Blackspotted Puffer	Saltwater	Reef	Aquarium	0.33 m	Grade 1 · 1m
Clown Triggerfish	Saltwater	Reef	Aquarium	0.40 m	Grade 1 · 1m
Sailfin Snapper	Saltwater	Reef	Aquarium	0.50 m	Grade 1 · 1m

These are the only aquarium species with a barrier requirement. Everything else — most reef fish and every schooling species — can be shown in glass without a fence grade.

Building a first aquarium

Start with a freshwater tank

Eight species accept Lakes & Rivers, which is the cheapest way to get water in a zoo: African Tigerfish, Blunthead Cichlid, Boeseman's Rainbowfish, Brown Trout and four more.

Then add a reef wall

Reef is the densest biome in the game for aquarium species, so a single reef build can hold the largest number of animals.

Keep the big three apart

The hammerhead (Grade 3), the manatee and the turtle (Grade 2) are the only tank animals that need real barriers. Give them their own footprint.

Check compatibility first

Sharing an aquarium with tank-mates is a biome plus enclosure check. Run the pair through our compatibility chart before you commit the build.

Also known as

Aquarium animals also get searched as aquatic animals, planet zoo 2 fish list, underwater animals, freshwater aquarium, saltwater aquarium and marine species. They are all the same list above. For the full roster including land and flying species, see the complete animal list and filter by enclosure type Aquarium.

Planet Zoo 2 coral aquarium tank with reef fish — Reef water is the densest biome for fish in Planet Zoo 2, so a single reef tank carries the most species.

Planet Zoo 2 keeper diving in a large indoor aquarium — Keepers dive into aquariums — Frontier's own field notes call them out as a new staff behaviour.

Planet Zoo 2 manta ray and shoal of fish in a large aquarium — Large-bodied rays are the only tank animals that need a Grade 2 barrier or better.

FAQ

How many aquarium animals are in Planet Zoo 2?

34 species use an aquarium habitat at launch. 19 of those are aquarium-only and 15 can also be kept in a walk-in exhibit. On top of that, 2 further species are exhibit-only aquatics (the Moon Jelly and the Giant Tiger Land Snail), so the aquarium-readable roster is 35.

Does Planet Zoo 2 have aquariums?

Yes. Fully aquatic species and custom aquariums are one of the headline additions in Planet Zoo 2. You build freshwater or saltwater aquariums from the same barrier system as land habitats, and Frontier's own store text calls them “spectacular freshwater or saltwater custom aquariums”.

Can I build a freshwater aquarium in Planet Zoo 2?

Yes. 8 of the 34 aquarium species accept a freshwater (Lakes & Rivers) biome: African Tigerfish, Blunthead Cichlid, Boeseman's Rainbowfish, Brown Trout, Clown Loach, Common Rudd, Giant Gourami, West Indian Manatee. The other 26 are saltwater species that need Reef, Open Sea, Estuarine or Mangrove water.

Are there sharks and rays in Planet Zoo 2?

Yes — four cartilaginous species: Blacktip Reef Shark, Great Hammerhead, Indo-Pacific Leopard Shark, Ocellated Eagle Ray. The Great Hammerhead is Deluxe-exclusive and is also the largest aquarium animal in the game at 3.5 m, needing a Grade 3 barrier.

Does Planet Zoo 2 have dolphins, whales or orcas?

No. Frontier answered this directly: they are keeping cetaceans out, and the reason given is that they want every species in the game to have an environment that reflects its real requirements. The official wording is “Whilst we know dolphins, whales and porpoises are popular species in the natural world, it is important to us that all animals represented in Planet Zoo 2 have environments that best reflect their requirements”, adding that they are keeping a close eye on how cetacean conservation and re-wilding evolve. So there is no dolphin, whale, orca, beluga or porpoise to build for at launch — that is an official design decision, not a gap in the data.

Do aquarium animals need a fence?

Mostly no. 20 of the 34 aquarium species need no barrier grade at all in the game's data — you are building a tank, not a paddock. Only the large-bodied animals carry a barrier requirement: 10 species need Grade 2, 3 need Grade 1 and the Great Hammerhead needs Grade 3.

What is the largest animal in a Planet Zoo 2 aquarium?

The Great Hammerhead at 3.50 m, followed by the West Indian Manatee at 3.00 m, the Ocean Sunfish at 2.50 m and the Ocellated Eagle Ray at 2.50 m. The manatee is also the only aquarium mammal and is the species that accepts the widest range of water — freshwater, estuarine, mangrove, open sea and wetlands.

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